Call it an eye-opening experience for Nicholas Pollard, Jaquan Washington, TéAnna Warren and six other high school seniors in Richmond Public Schools’ culinary program at the Richmond Technical Center.

For more than three hours last Sunday, the students shadowed and worked with several chefs preparing dishes to be featured at a benefit dinner for the culinary program held Monday night at Perch restaurant in the West End.

The benefit, put on by the nonprofit Building a Better RPS, raised about $8,000 that will help give culinary students first-hand experience and aid in replacing outdated, malfunctioning or missing equipment that hampers the entry-level culinary program.

For the students who came to Hatch Kitchen RVA in South Side to participate in the Sunday prep work, it was a chance to watch masters in action, including two top French chefs, Jean- Marc Tachet and Bernard Leveau.

Both traveled to the area to coach the French team in the annual Military Culinary Arts Competition at Fort Lee and, with corporate support, arrived early to participate in the preparation of the five-course meal that was offered at $100 a plate.

“This has been great,” Nicholas said, who, like the other students, kept a careful watch on the skilled hands of Chef Tachet as he created a classic soup with truffles and other dishes.

Chef Tachet drew the most attention. He is a winner of France’s top chef honors and is renowned for his role in promoting the sous-vide or low-heat method of cooking.

Also taking part was Chef Mike Ledesma, owner-operator of Perch. He volunteered his restaurant and staff for the French-Filipino-inspired meal experience billed as “Lyon Meets Luzon.” He also worked with the students in creating an entrée featuring pork adobo, an unofficial national dish of the Philippines.

The students assisted with creating the peppercorn marinade, participated in preparing the meat and were involved in preparing some of the other courses.

The dinner was the first community event to support the RPS culinary program that serves about 80 students and needs new appliances and other upgrades.

“We need a new walk-in refrigerator and ovens,” among other things, said Sean Monts, a professional cook who, as a teacher in the culinary program, has morphed into an educator of the next generation of restaurant owners and kitchen operators.

He also wishes there was enough money to supply students with proper outfits, including chef-style white jackets and pants.

“It costs about $40, but some of our students can’t afford that,” Mr. Monts said.

Mr. Monts said the price tag for the equipment upgrades alone could top $100,000.

Enter Building a Better RPS, which began working four years ago to provide some of the unmet needs in the city school system. The group previously focused on school landscaping and planting flowers, creating murals, fixing bathrooms, replacing ceiling tiles and undertaking other improvements.

Alyse Marshall-Auernheimer, a Realtor and property manager, joined with Scott Garnett, co-owner of Lift coffee shop in Downtown, and several other parents who have children in RPS to get the nonprofit off the ground in 2016. She also helped orchestrate the benefit after being approached by Benjamin Pasternak, chief executive officer of the Richmond-based Defiant Food Group.

Mr. Pasternak told her in January about the opportunity to have the two French chefs come to Richmond with support from his company and Sugar Creek, a Cincinnati-based meatpacker that employs her husband, Mark Auernheimer, as an executive and food engineer.

Ms. Marshall-Auernheimer, who is known for her event-organizing skills, jumped at the opportunity to get the non-profit involved. When Chef Ledesma agreed to volunteer his restaurant, she said the benefit was on.

Ms. Marshall-Auernheimer said Mr. Pasternak and Sugar Creek contributed the ingredients, while Mr. Pasternak also made two staff members available to work on marketing, travel arrangements and other aspects.

During Sunday’s preparatory work, Brandon Burrows, a chef and food science director for Defiant, also assisted in giving the students lessons in butchering and preparing the pork.

Other volunteers supporting the benefit and the students included chefs Ted and Kirsten Perkinson, owners of the local Kitchenette eatery; Garrett Eagleton, a New York chef and recent transplant; and Richmond City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray.

“We hope this will be the first of many culinary events we organize to benefit this wonderful program,” Ms. Marshall-Auernheimer said.